Three Schofield Barracks soldiers have been killed in fighting in Afghanistan this month as U.S. forces close out 2011 with the second-highest number of combat fatalities of the 10-year war.

The parents of one of those soldiers received the worst possible news Christmas Day at their home in Wisconsin. Their son, Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann, 27, had become the latest American killed in the fighting.

"The family is struggling with it. It’s kind of tough," the soldier’s uncle, James Altmann, said by phone Tuesday.

The Pentagon said Altmann, a married Schofield soldier from Marshfield, Wis., was killed in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds," 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Altmann is the 362nd U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan this year, according to the website www.icasualties.org, which tracks war casualties. The fatality total is the second highest of the 10-year war, with 440 killed in action last year. The next-highest loss was in 2009, with 266 combat deaths.

About 91,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, down from 101,000 in June as the United States moves toward an agreement to end its combat role in the country by the end of 2014.

The United Nations and NATO issued conflicting claims in September about the level of violence in Afghanistan in 2011, with the U.N. pointing to a 39 percent increase in "security incidents" for the year through August compared with the same time frame in 2010.

NATO, meanwhile, said "enemy-initiated attacks" were 2 percent lower for the same time period. It said the U.N. counted events NATO did not, such as arrests, assassinations and intimidation. NATO also did not count attempted but failed attacks, such as prematurely detonated roadside bombs.

Seventeen Schofield soldiers with the 3rd Brigade have been killed since the 3,500-member unit left in March and April on a yearlong deployment along the border with Pakistan.

Two soldiers with Hawaii’s 25th Division were killed Dec. 11 when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device in Kunar province. Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz was 24, and Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. was 30.

After he finished his second tour of duty in Iraq, Altmann could have switched careers and found a safer job, The Associated Press reported. But the Army medic never gave it a thought, and couldn’t bring himself to leave his fellow soldiers, those who knew him said.

Altmann re-enlisted this year and was sent to Afghanistan. He celebrated his 27th birthday 10 days before he died.

"Joe really, really loved the job he was doing," his mother, Janice Altmann, said. "He was so proud to stand next to the men he served with."

Janice Altmann said the family was preparing to fly to Dover, Del., on Tuesday to meet her son’s body. They were "devastated," even though they knew the risks Altmann faced, the AP reported.

"As a mother you worry about your child no matter what they do," Janice Altmann said, "but we talked about it, and we supported his decision 110 percent."

His wife, Nikki, also was heading to Dover, family members said. The couple had wed 10 months ago on a beach in Hawaii. They had no children.

Altmann was a popular student and athlete at Columbus Catholic High School, the AP reported. While he wasn’t a superstar athlete or an honors student, he had a fierce streak of determination and never gave up. Whatever he started, he finished "with all the might he had," his mother said.

Dozens of Altmann family members live in Marshfield, Wis., which has a population of about 18,000.

Joe Altmann, whose childhood nickname of "Snowman" — he had always loved to play in the snow — stuck with him into adulthood, had returned to Wisconsin for rest and recuperation leave with his wife over Thanksgiving, his uncle said.

"Everyone got to see him and talk to him," James Altmann said. "He does enjoy hunting, and he did get out in the woods a little bit while he was here."